Most
people of my generation remember the character of Cain popularized by David
Carradine. Caine was a Shaolin Monk who forsook the monastic life to travel the
Western United States in search of his long lost half-brother. His soft-spoken
voice, sage wisdom, and impressive unarmed combat skills were very admirable.
The series was kicked off by a two hour movie-of-the-week in 1972 and ran for
63 episodes until 1975. It was later revived into a movie in 1986 and again as
a new series called Kung Fu: The Legend Continues in 1993 which ran for 88
episodes until 1997. Although I have no real proof to back this claim up, I
fully believe that this series was the inspiration for the Monk Class in the
original D&D release. That being said, have a peek at this series if you've ever wondered how a monk should be played.

#2 Yoda
(Star Wars Universe)

There is
a strong argument to be made that Jedi are more psionicists than monks.
However, especially in Yoda’s case, I lean more toward monk in my thinking and
here are my reasons why: he spends a great deal of time meditating; he is a
philosopher and well spoken; he has a strong (almost spiritual) connection to
the force; and he is well trained in combat. Combine all of this with his
adeptness to train others and empathize with their wants and needs, and monk
seems to be the best option for our little green Jedi Master. I also think it is
important to note that many of the principals observed by the Jedi and Jediism
have been derived from Buddhism and the teachings of Buddhist monks.

#1 Neo
(The Matrix Trilogy)

If you
can imagine for a moment that technology can have its own kind of spirituality
and that the inter-connectivity of our digital world will one day be just as
diverse as the natural world, then the idea of Neo being a kind of Techno Monk
makes a lot of sense. It’s not just that he knows Kung Fu or that he struggles
to preserve/improve mankind. It is his philosophical
quest for understanding and his desire to learn about life. It is his balanced
approach to listen to both sides of the argument, human and machine, and find
the common ground between them. It is his ability to cling to the one principal
that guides all living things: choice. That is what makes him a monk.